Cow Parsley or Hemlock?

Anthriscus sylvestris or Conium maculatum? 

It's in a foreign language. How can you tell? 

Ask a professional.

A recent newsletter in my inbox bore a flower picture. Cow Parsley or Hemlock? I immediately recognised that important identifying features were outside the crop marks. Important considerations can distinguish a professional’s vigilance and expertise in translation as in botany.

Clients are sometimes tempted to take short cuts with translation - either by using an amateur or by using unedited machine translation. When past translations are regurgitated without human intervention, it doesn’t necessarily follow that the reformed translation will be harmless. It may look like cow parsley, but poisonous hemlock may be lurking beneath the surface. Consult the history books about Seneca’s slow suicide.

The translation equivalent of hemlock could mean a slow brand death. Unedited machine translation on your website may be harming your brand imperceptibly. Cultural history and its implications are not always apparent to a non-native speaker’s eyes. Your potential client may take a dim view or even be offended. Clients don’t always tell you – they just go elsewhere.

There’s another nasty in the botany world: Giant Hogweed. It’s a non-native species with toxic sap. It causes nasty burns and scarring.

Your use of non-native speakers for translation may not kill your brand. It may just burn or scar it badly. Don’t risk it. 

Always use a professional translator. A native speaker with subject expertise is the best option for a healthy, enduring brand.

Karen Andrews is a French to English translator, transcreator, content writer and editor. She holds an MSc in Scientific, Technical and Medical Translation with Translation Technology. She is a Member of the Chartered Institute of Linguists, Society for Editors and Proofreaders, Society of Authors and the Institute of Scientific and Technical Communicators. She can also offer your brand the value of over 15 years' expertise and experience in global marketing. 

A Bubble about to Burst?

Asset Bubbles, Derivatives and Translation. The title of the President of the International Federation of Translators’ presentation at the University of Bristol sounded intriguing in advance. So it proved. Henry Liu gave a fascinating presentation to a room full of experienced translation colleagues, lecturers and eager MA students.

This was certainly not a ‘Death by PowerPoint’ presentation. It was full of colourful pictures, photos and charts.

Henry showed us a picture of the Old Lady of Threadneedle Street, the Bank of England, then switched to the modern towers of Canary Wharf. What happened? London’s financial district relocated.

Canary Wharf's modern tower blocks in London

Pictures of the old stock market appeared including the old global stock market sign language. Today, there is hardly any stock. It’s all on screen.

The old Silk Road has been replaced by the new Silk Road. Frankfurt?

Then came the big bubble. The impact of the Global Financial Crisis needs no explanation.

Everyone wants to go back to a simpler life. Let’s go back to the good old days, when things were so much better.

We used to trade goods. Now the link to the real world is tenuous. Today’s Governor of the Bank of England can’t use the gold reserve to help interest rates. His hands are tied.

A photo of the long queues outside Northern Rock following its collapse in 2008 appeared on screen. Too much debt. People unable to pay. The right to own your own home is again in the news. A past aspiration for many.

And the translation comparison?

Clients expect cheap or free translation today.

There are various ways of certifying translators.

Lots of translation companies are being sold at higher prices.

A photo of Jochen Hummel appeared on screen - founder of Trados and the industry’s hated discount rates table. Nick Rosenthal, former Chair of the UK’s Institute of Translation and Interpreting (ITI) kindly stepped in to explain Translation Memory (TM) matches.

It’s all in the perception of value. Henry ridiculed TM matches by comparing them to interpreting for the G8 or G7. You can’t take 10% out in interpreting, yet translators are regularly asked to do so. You wouldn’t ask a radiographer to deduct 5%, would you?

Data, data everywhere.

Neural Machine Translation is approaching human translation skills - if you read the Press. 

The Language Barrier is about to fall. 

It’s hype. Yet, it’s hype that the world’s decision-makers are reading about our industry.

If it's not happening right now, then the Media are forever suggesting that the great automated translation breakthrough is imminent.

HYPE. ALL HYPE.

We can all be Nigella Lawson at home in the kitchen. We just buy all the ingredients. And hey presto, we can all  cook equally as well. Can’t we?

HYPE.

Latest craze burns the old ways with human faces? c. Freshidea

Hype catches on. We saw last summer's Pokemon craze.

Hype has consequences. It has been suggested that they are not planning to use interpreters at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Hype suggests they won’t be necessary.

REALITY

What of reality? When the first terror attack occurred in Belgium, there were only two qualified Arabic interpreters in the whole of Belgium. Impossible to work efficiently.

All the talk is about tech. There is so little talk about PRACTITIONERS + TECH. Instead we hear about the looming singularity, the hype curve or cycle.

How do we find more interpreting and translation experts? How will we finance CPD and degree expectations? Who is going to pay? If clients continue to buy cheaply, we will have a serious problem.

We still need humans to assist the automated translation process. What’s the translation market’s future? Will you have to marry someone rich to be an interpreter or translator?

We need strong collaboration. 

Twitter Selfie of the night: Jesper Sandberg (GALA), Nick Rosenthal (ITI) & Henry Liu (FIT) 

Are we really better off with more data? More volume = greater diversity. The most obvious statistical match is not always the most appropriate. Frequency does not always correlate, as Microsoft knows to its cost. Microsoft's MT replaced 'Saudi Arabia' with 'Daesh'. 

And what of rare language pairs? What of those languages with no written script?

Non-native speakers often reveal themselves not by using the wrong terminology but by the little connecting words that they get wrong. Henry gave the example of a New Zealand legal text that received the comment:

‘It’s not the same. It’s not how we write’.

What is native? What is distinctive? How clean is your data? Where has the data come from?

What happens to the data when past scientific facts are no longer considered valid?

95% of new products fail. There is an increasing reliance on automation instead of on people and services.

Henry continued to highlight the similarities between the Financial Crisis and the situation in the translation industry today. We all know that the bubble will burst. We need a new paradigm. Not to go back. We must avoid half-truths, overestimations and nostalgia for an unrealistic glorious past.

Put the dates in your diaries: 3-5 August 2017. The FIT Conference in Brisbane, Australia will discuss the theme ‘Disruption and Diversification’.

Q&A

A lively debate followed Henry’s presentation. Nick Rosenthal described the sale of Lionbridge for 70% of turnover as a massive own goal for the perception of value. Jesper Sandberg, the new Chair of the Globalization and Localization Association (GALA), argued that translation companies generally sold for a third less than turnover rather than 1½ x turnover.

Charitable Translations

Is there another own goal in translators being expected to work for charities for free? Amnesty International pays its translators. Non-payment is particularly unfair for translators and interpreters working in rare languages. They simply can’t support services on this basis.

Role for LSPs?

Discussions highlighted the need for closer collaboration between freelancers, LSPs and the IT industry. Jasper Sandberg argued that LSPs will always exist as they add value for clients. The likes of Microsoft will never work with freelancers, unless it is in a very niche area.

GALA's Pessimism

I asked why the Chair of FIT and the Chair of GALA could not work closely together to dispel all the hype. An individual freelancer is limited in what they can achieve against the tide of exaggerated claims for MT. I was frankly disappointed in the new GALA chair’s reply. He pleaded lack of resources, yet his new role places him in one of the most powerful roles in the Localization Industry with strong contacts in the IT industry. If the new GALA Chair is so pessimistic at the start of his new role, it makes you wonder how much lower his pessimism can go by the end of his tenure. 

Evolution or Revolution?
The GALA Chair says that he favours 'Evolution not Revolution'. That's all very well, but there is a digital Revolution going on. Evolution sees the survival of the fittest. If translators 'die out', his precious LSPs die out too. In the second stage of a Revolution you need a new leader who can return followers to Law and Order and establish a new stability.

Future Translation Students

Carol O’Sullivan, Director of Translation Studies, was asked about Bristol University’s MA intake. She seemed optimistic, claiming that she had seen no slowing in applications. She noted that there are now a greater number of ‘portfolio career' students.

My own personal contact with Generation Z suggests that there is little interest in languages. There is a perception that it is harder to achieve high grades in language A’ Levels. Choosing languages could potentially harm university entrance prospects. Yet, downgrading grade expectations also downgrades the attention to detail that is so important in translation and interpreting. Today’s young people believe that there is no future in translation. They use Google Translate to do their language homework much to their teachers’ exasperation.  They’ve all heard that 2020 HYPE - and they believe it.

When I left, the FIT Chair was surrounded by Bristol’s eager and optimistic MA students. I wish them every success in their future careers. I hope someone in power will have the motivation and resources to tackle the HYPE before the bubble bursts.

Karen Andrews is a freelance French to English translator, transcreator, content writer and editor. She has a strong background in global marketing.

Email Karen for further information via karenanglicityen@gmail.com in French, German or English.

Is speech technology unstoppable?

Too many like-minded techies around the TAUS table?

What do you call a huge, powerful and overwhelming force? A juggernaut. This afternoon TAUS ran a webinar entitled: TAUS New Year’s Reception 2017. The TAUS tagline is Enabling Better Translation. The webinar carried out a self-congratulatory review of TAUS ‘achievements’. The TAUS website claims to support the whole translation industry. Does it?

Alarm Bells

TAUS CEO Jaap van der Meer is very pally with all the IT companies. IT Companies think TAUS is a wonderful organisation. Freelance translators don’t trust TAUS. Hardly surprising, judging by the flippant and dismissive tone adopted towards some of their key concerns. TAUS has become a juggernaut in hock* to the major, largely US IT companies. It’s another classic case of too many like-minded people continuing regardless of alarm bells. And the alarm bells were ringing very loudly. They just ignored them.

They were all so excited about the latest technological developments in speech technology, machine translation and machine learning. They touched on robots putting translators and project managers out of jobs. Oh, something else would come up for them. It was so exciting.

Dismissive of human aspects

Jaap van der Meer raised a major concern. Yet, he didn’t seem to fully appreciate its human significance and repercussions. He mentioned universities’ difficulties in obtaining software licences for students. He felt bad about it. Never mind, Mr van der Meer predicts that post-editing will be dead in the next 5 years. They need to move on to new challenges.

It’s all very well for the TAUS juggernaut and IT pals to move on, but it isn’t so simple for the universities - or past and present students trained in a soon-to-be obsolete technology. And of course, the fact that the technology will die means that he can dismiss trying to resolve post-editing pricing controversies. They will simply recur more urgently with the next technology. Wait and see.

A university curriculum cannot change at the drop of a hat. How do course leaders explain wasting so much time, money and effort on an obsolete technology? How do they explain to university administrators that the old stuff is useless? Will they trust TAUS and IT developers before making new purchases? Not one iota.

EU Linguistic Expertise v. US Isolationism

An EU Quality Manager made an interesting point. An EU survey revealed that quality is 6 times more important than cost efficiency. It seemed to fall on deaf ears. You can’t get more experienced than the EU in procuring multilingual translations. It's difficult for TAUS to listen because its advisors are largely American. They only really worry about English and Spanish. They dismiss valid European concerns as ‘scepticism’. We can’t hope for any enlightened leadership on linguistic matters from the US over the next 4 years. Hell, the President-elect wants to build a wall between the US and Mexico.

Not good enough

And what of all the translators working in the market who were trained to meet post-editing ‘good enough’ standards? How do they suddenly learn the creativity required by the increasing demand for transcreation? How do course leaders find enough trainers? The older generation learnt to translate literally. The younger generation were told that ‘good enough’ was ‘good enough’. You can change technology, but it isn’t easy to unlearn what will now be regarded as bad practices for transcreation.

Raw deal for the young

I feel for the younger generation. They endured successive, unpaid internships. Then, they got cheated out of 50% of their potential earnings. So how are they now supposed to finance their retraining and buy new software?

No answers to society’s challenges

To be fair to TAUS: Technology is transforming other industries too. Digital transformation threatens many jobs. No-one has the economic answers on how society supports a workforce for whom there are no jobs. People need to feel valued and productive to maintain good mental and physical health. Those who feel excluded can wreak havoc on society - as we have already seen with terrorist attacks. If a section of the population is left ill-informed and poorly educated, they can vote extremist political parties into power to exact vengeance.

Property prices in my London borough have increased 71% over 10 years. How do you deal with that, a reduction in earnings and a need to retrain? The UK population has the consequences of Brexit to deal with too.

Speech technology and cultural incompetents

How many other industries could start an apocalypse? TAUS says nothing on the importance of cultural competence to translation and interpreting. The lack of cultural understanding coming from the US, IT companies and the future President is alarming. Speech technology could start a nuclear war in their hands. The scientists who made atomic bombs no doubt found their technology oh so exciting too.

Implications for military applications in the field? 

It’s time to stop the TAUS juggernaut and take stock of the human implications. We need a powerful European organisation to consider the ethical, societal and human elements of current directions. TAUS is patently not representing the whole industry.

* in hock to - (meaning 3) if you are in hock to someone, you feel that you have to do things for them because they have given you money or support.
Usage example: It is almost impossible for the prime minster to stand above the factions. He always seems in hock to one or the other
Collins Cobuild Advanced English Learners' Dictionary

Karen Andrews is a freelance French to English translator, transcreator, content writer and editor. She has a strong background in global marketing.

Email Karen for further information via karenanglicityen@gmail.com in French, German or English.

Should you choose a robot or a human?

Who's playing the violin?

Can a robot make music?


It looks like it can...

Robot playing violin

It plays... but would you choose to go and see it in a concert hall? Is it a virtuoso?


Machines can translate.  They can do a great job for a gist translation. They can work in highly customised domains with a lot of investment and input from experienced, specialist hands.

But would you honestly trust your creative marketing translations to a machine translation? There are greater risks.

A brand risk... 
A risk to your personal reputation... 
A risk of a damaging new product launch...
... or a risk to an existing market.

Will a machine offer cultural advice?
Can it help you plan your marketing strategy and tactics?
Can it offer you reassurance by answering your questions or responding to your concerns?
Can it transcreate?
Rewrite sections that don't apply or that your local office is unhappy with for its clients?
What about SEO?
Will a robot be your partner throughout the campaign?

Choose a human professional translator. There is so much to consider.

Call Anglicity on +44 (0)20 8581 9369 or email karen@anglicity.com

Still not convinced? Watch Anglicity's latest video on Vimeo...

Karen Andrews runs
Anglicity Ltd. She is a 

human translator and

transcreator.  She is

also a copywriter,

digital marketer and 

multilingual 

project manager.

For further information see
Anglicity's website

Overcoming the "curse" of technical knowledge

An origami swan - not as simple as it looks © M. Gove

An expert is very close to the technical details of his field on a daily basis. The terms become so familiar. He forgets how unfamiliar those same terms once were. This is known as the curse of knowledge.

Different target audiences

Many experts are unable to explain their subject simply. "Doing simple" feels very uncomfortable. It feels like you are "dumbing down" years of hard-earned education and painstaking research. Yet, there are many times when an expert needs to persuade or communicate with target audiences outside his field - for example:

·      to access funding and support

·      to maintain or renew existing funding

·      to influence policy-makers

·      to access the Media - both trade and non-trade press

·      to debate ethical and other issues with university management, etc

·      to work with the private sector

·      to launch and market a prototype or product

·      to seek advice from experts in other fields

·      to report on research progress

·      to present findings at international/multicultural conferences

·      to publish online, newsletters, emails, short videos, etc

·      to take advantage of the growing trend for MOOCs

·      to engage with the general public.

Academic writing

Academic writing often encourages an intellectual approach. It is seen as good to sound clever and obscure. You are supposed to sound like an expert. However, it is also said that you do not know your subject well enough if you cannot explain it simply. 

Cultural differences

There are also cultural differences in approach to academic writing. When studying in France, I remember English students being berated for a meandering style. Our writing was likened to that of the great French Renaissance philosopher Montaigne. As I loved Montaigne's essays, it felt like a compliment. However, if you wish your writing to be accepted in another culture, you have to conform to their current expectations and norms.

Rewriting

German academic writing expects the reader to find his own way. English academic writing requires clear guidance for the reader. English is the language of science. You need to publish in English if you wish to reach the widest possible audience. Rewriting can improve readability for target audiences outside the academic world. Machine translation will not convert academic German into academic English. Nor will it create material fit for 21st Century digital consumption. Greater attention needs to be paid to presentation and formatting as well as technical content.

Readability

Improving the readability of a text does not mean lowering the research's value or content. The simplest way to improve readability is to talk your subject through with someone outside your field. Explain your story and aims to them. A technical writer or professional translator is the perfect choice as they work with different target audiences on a daily basis. Their questions will help you fine-tune your material for your new audience. Your message is much more likely to be heard and understood.

Choose an expert

Simplicity may look simple. It takes time and thought. It is easy to underestimate the skill involved. It requires the hard-earned education and painstaking effort of an expert to make technical translation and writing look simple. 

If you would appreciate some expert help with your technical communications, email karen@anglicity.com or call Karen on +44 (0)20 8581 9369.

Karen Andrews runs
Anglicity Ltd. She is a

technical writer and 

translator with over

15 years' marketing

experience. Anglicity offers

marketing consultancy and

content marketing with a 

particular focus on innovation.

10 communication challenges only humans can solve

As an international marketer, your head must be spinning. Technological advances are demanding so much of your time and energy. Rest assured, technology won't change everything about international communication. Anglicity suggests below what won't change* about your future communication needs:

1. The customer will remain human.

2. The customer will remain delightfully and almost wilfully unpredictable

            - despite all market research

            - despite all market predictions

            - despite endless analytics.

3. There will always be a need for well-written, original creative copy with emotive appeal in the customer's own language.

4. Even the best machine translation will always present a brand risk without human input, because languages will keep evolving.

5. There will be an increasing need to customise your message for the idiosyncrasies of different global and regional target audiences.

6. Strategic marketing planners will always need advice on how to adapt to

            - the uneven roll-out and uptake of new technologies and devices globally

            - frequent updates and new trends

            - differing media preferences globally

            - differing attitudes and preferences between the generations.

7. There will always be a need for language experts with advice on cultural, linguistic, historical, legal and regional sensitivities. Fail to consult at your peril.

8. Making both the original and the translated word work effectively with pictures, in presentations and in videos will remain a challenge.

9. There will always be a need for conscientious communicators who check every last detail. Experienced marketers like you don't take short-cuts or risks with their brand.

10. There will always be innovative businesses needing expert guidance and consultancy services as they venture into export markets for the first time.

Yesterday's world is history. There are always new challenges to face.  Technological challenges are nothing new to the translation world. Experience of facing yesterday's challenges counts.  It demonstrates the ability to adapt to the new challenges ahead. Today's human translators are evolving into the linguistic, cultural and marketing experts that international marketers like you need. When your head is spinning with all your communication challenges, isn't it reassuring to speak to a human expert instead of a machine? Do you agree?

If you would appreciate some human help with your international marketing communications, email karen@anglicity.com or call Karen on +44 (0)20 8581 9369.

Karen Andrews runs
Anglicity Ltd. She is an

experienced international 

marketer with 15 years' 

experience. Anglicity offers

marketing consultancy,

content marketing, translation

and transcreation services with a 

particular focus on innovation.

The above blog was inspired by comments made by Amazon CEO, Jeff Bezos.

How to reach a disinterested target audience

'A great, great film' according to the Telegraph's 2014 Cannes Film Festival review. Why did the restless Ciné Lumière audience shuffle out disappointed then? They muttered that the very same 3-hour film was too long and boring.

Frederick Wiseman's documentary on Britain's National Gallery has some rave reviews. I went to see it at the French Institute's cinema. Afterwards, I wondered what marketing techniques might work with a disinterested target audience. What appeals to one audience leaves another completely cold. The finer points of human translation go largely unappreciated. Can we learn from the marketing techniques used by an art gallery? Could they help win over a public besotted with machine translation? Over the coming week, I will post blogs on targeting a disinterested audience.

Right at the beginning of the film, senior gallery management expressed the desire to appeal to a wider audience. Their very involvement and comments were often at odds with attracting that new audience. The film reeked of excessive intrusion in the film's production and content. The majority of senior management discussions should have remained on the cutting room floor.

Yet, the film contained some precious nuggets of information. Conservation work behind the scenes was fascinating. There were some engaging cameos from guides in front of the public. I was reminded of airport documentaries on TV. The production team singles out their stars. Their cameras capture everyday workers and some unexpected characters going about their jobs. Problems are aired and solved on camera. Even VIPs have walk-on and walk-off parts. Interest is in the work behind the scenes, in the build-up to a VIP's arrival.

The National Gallery seems to offer a fascinating range of events for different audiences. Personally, I would have made the film's best scenes into short videos to view from their website. Just a few examples:

1. The hidden picture behind a Rembrandt
2. Lighting in Samson and Delilah by Rubens
3. A guide explaining a picture to children on his knees

This bite-size approach would have been far more likely to draw in new visitors. In the digital age, video can share a guide's enthusiasm for a seemingly flat picture with a new audience. 

Three hours of boredom can lead to total and permanent switch-off. Three minutes of engagement leaves an appetite to find out more. 

Check back for tomorrow's post.

Karen Andrews runs
Anglicity Ltd. She is
an entrepreneurial
French to English
translator, editor,
content writer and
marketing consultant. 

Contact: karen@anglicity.com 
for further information 
on Anglicity's services.